Hey Reader,
What's your go-to Spotify playlist?
I basically have 3 states during a work day: on a call, talking to jo, or wearing headphones listening to music... and I've realized I listen to the same 4 playlists a lot.
If I get some good recs (hit reply), I'll report back next week for everyone on what people think you should be listening to.
This Week's Needle Mover
Idea 46: Build Together: Build projects live on Zoom with the client to easily navigate complex nuances in real-time. This avoids the trap of baking in incorrect assumptions that take hours to undo later, or multiple rounds of revisions.
Have you ever put hours (or days) into a project for a client only to get feedback "ehh, I'm not feeling it", and you basically have to throw it all away?
Back in our branding photography days we replaced our prep questionnaire with a strategy call because:
- Often times the questionnaire answers only gave us 80% of what we needed and we had to ask follow up questions anyways
- Clients needed help refining their ideas/needs
- It was way quicker to get on one 30-45 min call than spending days (or even weeks) emailing back and forth
It works great when you need to gather a lot of information (eg: onboarding, reviews, strategy, etc) or make multiple decisions (eg: I like these options but not those, these locations for a photoshoot, etc).
How do you make it work well:
- Have an agenda of exactly what information you need or decisions made, so you can quickly move through everything (we used the same template agenda for every single strategy call as a repeatable process).
- Prepare a couple ideas/examples for things so if they have no preference you can give your expert opinion, get their sign-off and move on (eg: here's 3 studios we found in your area that we think match your brand, do any of them work for you?)
- Use a meeting transcriber to summarize everything so you can be present on the call without frantically taking notes.
- For anything where a client says "I don't know" or "I'll have to think about that" add it to a list of action items for them to get back to you after the call so you don't get stalled out in indecision.
- Email them right after the call with a bulleted list of everything you need from them and a deadline for when you need them by.
The Messy Middle
This week I learned about the idea of a "nostalgia reset" or that listening to music from your formative years can help reset your nervous system (no idea if it's scientifically backed). But it immediately clicked why my dad listened to Beach Boys and Beatles when I was a kid because he was nostalgia resetting.
My dive in 2000s music brought me to this gem (dare you to read these words without singing it):
Staring at the blank page before you, open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you cannot find
...
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
It's interesting how many thought leaders I've seen reference the idea that your life is a book, and it's expected to have "chapters" where you do different things.
Did we all just grow up being told that our life is "unwritten" and we all just want to publish a memoir now?
In all serious-ness tho, the book analogy is one of my favorites because it gives you permission to have new interests (and side quests) that can define different chapters (or eras) of your life.
If I were to list out some of my chapters strictly by what I did as a job up until this point it'd be: farmer (header photo), sound guy, summer camp admin, supply chain implementor, business school admissions, big pharma biz systems analyst, photographer, and currently community builder.
And the thing that's most exciting is I know for certain this isn't my last chapter.
What chapter of your book are you in right now? Hit reply I'd love to know.
This Week on the Podcast
What is a system, how do you get started with one, and how do you transition your clients into your system?
Saba has taught hundreds of VAs how to use systems how to manage multiple clients and runs an agency that's in the top 10% of Clickup users every year. It's a great listen to learn how to implement & better leverage your systems to keep track of everything your doing.
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​Listen on Apple Podcasts / Listen on Spotify / Watch on YouTube​
Prefer the blog version? Here's a peek:
You are juggling multiple clients, your inbox is a disaster zone, and you are randomly texting your team or a friend at 8:00 PM with micro-thoughts and tasks because you are terrified you’re going to forget them. You feel like you are working around the clock, but somehow, you're constantly behind.
If you are nodding your head right now, it is time to talk about service provider business systems.
But what is a business system, exactly? It doesn't have to be a complicated piece of expensive software. Saba defines a system simply as a reliable, repeatable way of doing things.
To explain, she uses a relatable analogy from her own home: the kitchen sink. She and her fiancé created a system where he loads the dishwasher at night, and because she is up at 5 a.m., she empties it. This gives them a clean slate to start the day. Before this system, there was friction, arguments about when the dishes needed to be done and how the other person was supposed to know it was time. By establishing a specific meeting point where one loads and the other empties, the friction completely disappeared.
The exact same logic applies to your business. When you build reliable meeting points for your tasks, your team, and your clients, you free up time in your business.
If you are ready to stop drowning in your to-do list, we are breaking down a 100-day plan to implement systems that will give you your life back.
Overheard in The Breakroom
This week we had our Q1 Wrap-Up workshop where we focused on 6 specific metrics of Q1: Income, Expenses, Profit, Leads, Clients, & Conversions, with specific questions in an workbook for everyone to dig deep reflect and set intentions for Q2.
While Taylor wasn't able to attend live, her comment on the replay brought it home for us that we are truly impacting peoples businesses with The Breakroom, not just making a fun place to hang out.
You can catch the replay too, even if it's just with the free trial.
Resource of the Week
Jo put this podcast in The Breakroom this week, here's half of her takeaways:
Here's the podcast:
Hit Reply: What's your big goal for April? Is there any way we can help?,
Lyndon
​PS, we offer 7-day trials for our membership, The Breakroom! Click here to experience it for yourself (you'll be able to attend up to two Live calls and get immediate access to the online portal and replays of past masterclasses).
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